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Energy and Environment Monitor

Oil and Gas Development

Federal court in Pennsylvania Invalidates Township Ordinance Prohibiting Oil and Gas Waste Disposal

By opinion of March 31, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania invalidated an ordinance adopted by Pennsylvania’s Grant Township.  The Township’s “Community Bill of Rights Ordinance” prohibited corporations from “engaging in the depositing of waste from oil and gas extraction” and invalidated any “permit, license, privilege, charter or other authority issued…

Maryland General Assembly Bans Fracking

Prior law in Maryland required its Department of the Environment to adopt a regulation by October 1, 2016 for the hydraulic fracturing of wells for exploration or production of natural gas, but provided they would not become effective until October 1, 2017. Further, the Department was prohibited from issuing fracking permits until October 2017.

A new bill passed by both the House and Senate of the…

COLORADO COURT’S SELECTIVE USE OF STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION PRINCIPLES TILTS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT CASE IN YOUTH ENVIRONMENTALISTS’ FAVOR

On March 23, 2017, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued a decision that has the potential to make future oil and gas development in the State very difficult, if not impossible. See Martinez v. Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Comm., No. 16-CA-0564, Opinion. In what is becoming something of a trend of activist groups bringing legal actions purportedly on behalf of minors (see also …

EPA Withdraws 2016 Information Request on Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Industry

On November 10, 2016, EPA issued Information Collection Request requiring oil and natural gas companies to provide extensive information that EPA desired to develop regulations for reducing methane emissions from existing oil and gas sources.

The information request was sent to more than 15,000 owners and operators in the oil and gas industry. The request was comprised of two parts:  An…

OSM Announces Increase in Civil Penalties – But Not Where It Will Matter

Bad news: OSM announced an increase in the amount of civil penalties it will impose for two categories of violations. The first is a daily penalty for continuing violations which remain unabated, and the second for the maximum amount for an individual civil penalty. Good news: the increase will not apply in states which directly regulate mining, meaning most states where coal is actually mined.…

Outgoing FERC Commissioner Urges Commission to Broaden Analysis of Need for and Effect of Pipelines: Effect May Be to Increase Direct Action by Pipeline Opponents

Norman Bay’s tenure as Chairman and a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ended with his resignation effective February 3. He resigned after President Trump appointed another member of FERC to serve as chairman. The resignation leaves the Commission, which is authorized to have 5 members, with only 2 members; one short of a quorum.

In one of Bays’ last acts, he voted with the other…

Monkey Wrenches on the Way: Anti-Pipeline Group from the Midwest Wants in on the Appalachian Action

According to a recent publication by Inside Climate News, a group claiming to have played  a pivotal role in the efforts to block the Keystone XL Pipeline, is here to help wage war against the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. A group known as Bold Alliance bills itself as a network of “small and mighty” groups in rural states (Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana and Oklahoma), which…

EPA FUMBLES FRACKING STUDY

In 2015, EPA released a draft study finding that hydraulic fracturing is not having “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water.” This conclusion – reached in the apparent absence of widespread, systemic impacts – seemed eminently sound, if not obvious.

But an uproar ensued. Two of the Obama Administration’s staunchest allies – the green lobby and trial lawyers – opposed the draft report’s…

EPA FUMBLES FRACKING STUDY

In 2015, EPA released a draft study finding that hydraulic fracturing is not having “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water.” This conclusion – reached in the apparent absence of widespread, systemic impacts – seemed eminently sound, if not obvious.

But an uproar ensued. Two of the Obama Administration’s staunchest allies – the green lobby and trial lawyers – opposed the draft report’s…

Little Known Agency Assumes New Enforcement Powers

A little known federal agency in charge of pipeline safety has just issued a new regulation that represents a major change in its enforcement authority over regulated pipelines. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, has announced an “Interim Final Rule” (IFR) on its website which will authorize it to…

Sierra Club Expands War on Gas in Challenge to Air Permit for Gas Plant: Claims Emissions from Gas Supply Pipeline and Associated Compression Should be Included in Analyses

The Sierra Club and its acolytes have openly derided those who advocate using gas as a “bridge fuel.” Now, the group seeks to slow the construction of both a new gas-fired power plant in Virginia and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline slated to provide fuel to the Plant.  The Appalachian Mountain Advocates (“Appalmad”), who serve frequently as counsel to the Sierra Club, have bragged…

Court Allows Pipeline Opponents to Challenge Clean Water Act Permits Directly in Circuit Courts of Appeal

The Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) of 1938 grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) exclusive authority to regulate sales and transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce. To that end, Section 7 of the NGA empowers FERC to authorize the construction and operation of interstate transportation facilities—i.e., pipelines.  FERC does so by determining whether a project serves the…

 

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